King (Art of Fighting)
King is a character in both Art of Fighting and King of Fighters series.
History
King is a very beautiful woman who, for several reasons, hides her beauty under mens clothing. First, when King was a little girl, she was sent to Thailand in order to learn Muay Thai, with her baby brother, Jan. King, despite being a woman, demostrated to be a skillful Muay Thai fighter, and could even face the best of fighters. However, she could not fight in an official tournament because she was a woman. King was very disappointed and at certain point, she despised being a female herself. She also had to take care of her brother Jan. However, the clever King began to scheme.
In the next Thai Muay Thai tournament, all fighters were surprised by a certain fighter who wore a shirt, and very short blond hair. They were even more surprised when that person began advancing in the tournament, with his impressive skills. The mysterious person quickly reached the final battle, where he had to face the current champion. The fight was pretty even, but the man named only "King" was getting the upper hand. In a rage burst, the champion took hold of King's shirt, but King kicked him back. The force of the impact made the champion tear King's shirt, and King's secret soon became evident to the crowd...she was a woman. Everybody was dumbfounded. The organizers considered the final invalid, and threw King away. The humilliated King traveled to the United States, where she would begin a new life with her brother Jan.
King arrived at Southtown, a city with a lot of problems and crime due to the reign of Geese Howard. King opened a bar in downtown, since she always liked to drink. However, King hated her womanhood now more than ever, ever since that incident back in the tournament. She now dressed elegantly as a man, and received all her guests.
When King first appeared in Art of Fighting she was an employee of the mysterious Mr. Big. King worked as the bouncer at Mr. Big's restaurant, where she was often seen reading the works of Gertrude Stein. Her stage is set in the aforementioned restaurant.
Trivia
- King and Ryo Sakazaki are attracted to each other.
- King's signature Double Strike is unique to 2D fighting games as this move projects two separate fireballs.
- In Art of Fighting, if you used a special move to defeat King, her shirt rips open to reveal that King was a woman (and not an effeminate man). This also happens in AOF 2 & KOF 94.
- In the instruction manual of the original Art of Fighting, King is always referred to as a "He."
- Harumi Ikoma has been the voice of King since her debut.
- King appears as an secret character in the console version of KOF 2002 and appears in a background with her brother Jan in the arcade version of KOF 2002.
- For the first time ever, King is seen wearing a dress during the ending of Kyoukugen Team in The King of Fighters XI.
Quotes
- "You're quite a gallant kid, but you need more practice."
- "Oh, you're bleeding. Wipe it off with this."
- "Speed isn't the everything. Make the contact count!"
- "Fighting is a test of intellect. Prove it? Who won, fool?"
- "Look, game over. Beat it, or I'll boot you into space!"
- "Quite a learning experience. Let's do it again next year!"